Pete Rodriguez Record: 5-2-0

UFC debut against Jack Della Maddalena

Rodriguez's promotional debut came at UFC 270 in January 2022 against future welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena. It was a brutal welcome to the elite level: Della Maddalena stopped Rodriguez by first-round TKO, handing him the first loss of his career. The setback came against one of the division's hardest-hitting strikers and offered no shame, but it underlined the gap between regional finishing and UFC competition.

Bouncing back and the road since

Rodriguez answered emphatically in October 2022, knocking out Mike Jackson in the first round at UFC Fight Night with a flurry capped by punches and a knee, keeping his streak of never reaching a judge's scorecard intact. His next outing in February 2024 saw him run into another tough test: Themba Gorimbo stopped him by first-round TKO, his second professional loss. Both defeats came inside a round against rugged, durable opposition, the trade-off for a high-risk, all-or-nothing style.

Fighting style

Rodriguez is the definition of a finisher: all five of his wins are knockouts, giving him a 100% finish rate, and remarkably he has never seen a decision in seven professional fights – every bout has ended by stoppage one way or the other. Despite a jiu-jitsu background, his calling card is concussive punching power and the willingness to throw caution aside in pursuit of the finish, as the flying knee against Guzman showed. That aggression is a double-edged sword: both of his losses came by first-round TKO, reflecting a high-variance approach that can end fights early in either direction. For Rodriguez, the path forward is about adding the defensive layers to survive the early exchanges against UFC-level strikers.

Career highlights

• 100% finish rate — all five of Rodriguez's professional wins came by knockout, and no fight of his has ever reached the judges' scorecards.
• UFC knockout of Mike Jackson — he rebounded from his debut loss with a first-round stoppage at UFC Fight Night in October 2022.
• Perfect regional run — four straight first-round finishes in the iKon Fighting Federation, including a highlight-reel flying-knee stoppage, earned him his UFC call-up.